Spring-wheel.



0. G. WORSLEY.

SPRING WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.20, 1917. 7 1,244,681. Patented Oct; 30,1917. x

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. 6 w. 2.

M WITNESSES JO Z6 Z5 l/Vl/E/VTOR ,520 61%:54 y

ivwyflu Y W 9%,

ATTORNEYS piviT s ATEsrATENT oFFlfC-E- o'r'ro e. wons'nnmor AURORA, 'IILLrnors.

To all whom it may concern: e i

Be itknown that .I, OTTO G. W master, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Aurora, in the county of Kaneand State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Spring-Wheels,= of which the followingis a specification.

My present invention relates generally to spring wheels, and more particularly to that type of spring wheel including circumferentially spaced felly. and rim portions with interposed shock absorbing means, my improvements being directed to such means,

and having for their. obj ects the provision of readily accessible and highly efficient spring members, the construction, disposition, and

operation of whichwill promote uniform distribution of strain, efl'ect'ive transmission of rotary movement, and maximum elasticity with minimum breakage. I a V In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention, and. forming a part of'this specification: r I

Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section, illustrating a spring wheel constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a partial, circumferential section taken substantially on, line 2 -2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on a. median I line, with the parts under compression;

Fig. 1 is a radial section taken substantially on line H of Fig. 1 4

. Fig. 5 is a perspective view. illustrating the several portions'of one ofthe 'felly cariried spring bearlngs;

I, Fig. 6 is a similar view of the several portions of one of the spring of the rim, and v I Fig. 7 is a plan view of oneof theisprings removed. V v. 4

Referring now to these figures, the circumconnecting means ferentially spaced felly and rim are respectively indicated at 10 and 11,'and, as seen in Fig. 1, the felly 10 forming as it does arigid part of the wheel, is supported at the ends of the'usual spokes 12 extending from the hub 13.,

In accordance with my inventlon, the felly 10 is provided with a channeled felly plate 14 having outwardly projecting side flanges 15, and the spaced rim 11 is similarly channeled, with inwardly projecting side flanges At equidistantly spaced points aroundthe rim 11 are mounted spring securing means,

mamas of Letters ra -ant.

cured by rivets or like fastening. members H Patented Oct. 30, 1917 Application filed January 20, 1917. seriaino. 143,474. I

extending. through the openings 18, the rim plate 17 4 having side flanges'19 Within the side flanges 16 of the rim and being provided with slotted openings 20 angularly disposed with respect to its longitudinal axis; :The rim plate l7-with its flanges 19 thus protects the rim 11 and its flanges '16 from contact with thesecured springyone ofthe l V series of springs 21 whichis disposed-within the channeled rim plateand rivetedat-its in-i ner face against the outer-face of'a housing plate 22rhaving sideflanges 23'to extendout-' wardly between the side flanges 19 of the.

rim plate and provided with projectinglugs 24 for extension through and rivetingwithin.

the slots 20, the rivets or like fastening meme:

bers securing the intermediateannularporf 5 tion 25 of the spring-21, being passed through openings 26 of said angular portion,

and through openings 27 of the housing plate22w- I The housing plate also provided with a central opening 28in order that a buffer piece29 may be riveted. or otherwise secured against its inner face for a purpose to be presently described, this bufi'erto be disposition of the formed, of leather or"other-materialsuitable I above described, and their relative-.disposi-q tionin'the space'betwe'en the felly 10 and rim 11, with their curvature, bringsthe ends of their ofl'set extensions to'bear upon the outer surface of the felly,.the inner bearing extremities of the springs havinginturned hooks 81 for a purpose to 'bepresentlyde-f l scribed. c c I It will be furthermore seen; from refer-i ence toFig. 1, that the particular-relative" disposition of the springs, brmgssthe'hook extremities 31 of alternate springs in contiguous relation to the telly 10 and to one another, at points opposite the central secured portions of the spring therebetween, bearing members being disposed at these points of the telly 10, in which the e;;tremi ties *ol the springs are freely movable.

Each of these bearing. members consists of a pair of side pieces 32, best seen in Fig. 5, extending along andfbeyond' the outer faces of the side flanges of the telly plate 14, and secured thereto by ,suitable clasping ,vmembers, such as bolts or rivets, through alined openings 33 0f said side pieces and said'flanges 15, the side pi-eces32 being further, provided attheir inner edges with intermediate, projecting lugs having. apertures 3 1 for the-reception of a. bolt for rivet 35extending through the telly 10 adjacent the inner face of the telly plate 14:. I

As further seen in Fig. 5, the side plates 32' are' connected attheir outer edges by a gtransverse bridge piecem36, integral thereg, the outer edges of the side flanges 15 vof the felly plate 14L, so that a space is formed be;

with and thus spaced outwardly beyondtheouter edges of the flanges 15 of the telly plate 14, the'saidbridge piece having a central'aperture 37 for alineinent with the central aperture 38 of a wear plate 39 disposed againstthe inner face of the said-bridge piece 36, theap'er'tures receiving a connecti1igrivet40l as seen in Fig. 1, and the wear plate 39 having side-flanges 41 engaging tween the inner face of the 'wear plate 39 and the outer facerof the telly plate 14, of

suflicientsize'to permitof the receptionxa'nd,

freely sliding-movernent of the hooked eX- tremities 31.01 the springs therein. 'Upon the ends of thewearplate 39 are flanges 39 that fit over the edges of the bridge piece 36-, as shown inFig. 3. i

V Within the bearing spaces formed as just above described, are disposed free moving rollers 42,-seeFigs. 1 and, 3,2over and par-L tially around which the hooked spring -eX- tremities 31 extend, (so that thesaid spring ends will thus havefree ready sliding movement on the rollers 4L2, between a central point of the respective bearingmember, at which thespring ends contact with one :another, and the outer rivets or bolts 13 C011? necting the side pieces 32 and extending through the openings 33 of said side pieces and the side flanges '15 of the fellyplate 1 h.

The rollers42=run in contact witha wear plate letthat liesagainst the telly plate 14 and extends between the rivets 43.

portions 44? of said wear plate constitute stopsto. prevent the rollers from leaving the bearingspaces.

It is thus obvious that, in use, the several springs21will. be e'fl ectively protected-at all ljlIIlGS against ingury under excessive ressure 1b virtue of the en 'a ementor the P a a The end bearing and connecting members, as seen in F 1g. 3, the shock and noise of such en- "gageme'nt being taken up by the buffer pieces 29 carried by the several connecting members as before described.

I It is furthermore obvious that, connected as they are at their central portions to the rim, and with their-extremities having freely movable hearings in the relation stated upon the telly, the springs 21 are well adaptedto absorb shocks in'use, effectively support the rim and telly in their normally spaced re--.

lation', and -promote maximum elasticity with minimum breakage, attention being particularly'called to theaccessibility ol lall of the parts so constructed and disposed, whereby repairs and substitution of parts may be readily accomplished at all times. I I claim:: I a

1. A spring wheel comprisingcircumferenti'ally spaced telly and-ri1n;portions, aseries'of curved springs-between said telly and-r1m,-connecting members engaging the springs intermediate their ends and. dis

nosed at saaced Joints around the rim and l l l a bearing members atspaced points around the telly opposite the said connectii'ig members in which the :ends of the .said

springs are movable, said bearing members including side piecescarried byythe' telly and having outer bridge pieces directly .opposing the said connecting members, and buffer pieces carried by the connecting members and interposed between the same and the 'sai'dibri-dgepiecesiof the bearing members. I

2. A spring wheel comprising circumferentially spaced telly and rim portions, a seriesoi :cnrved springs between said telly and rim, connecting members engaging the.

series of curved springs between said felly and rim portions havin'g hooks at their extremities, connecting members engaging the springsintermediate their ends rand disposed at'spaced points around the rim, :and bearing members at spaced points around the any opposite :to the :said connecting members, said bearing members having bridged bearing faces, and rollers having.

limited movement within the :said bearing faces and enaggagerl by the hook extremities of the springs movable within the said faces.

4. A spring wheel comprising circumferentially spaced telly and rim portions, a series of curved springs between said felly and rim portions, connecting members engaging the springs intermediate their ends and disposed at spaced points around the rim, and bearing members at spaced points around the telly opposite the said connecting members and in which the ends of the said springs are movable, said connecting members including a rim plate secured to the rim and in which the spring extends, a housing plate extending over the spring and secured to the said rim plate, and a bufler piece secured to said housing plate and directly opposite the respective bearing member.

5. A spring wheel comprising circumferentially spaced felly and rim portions, a series of bowed springs secured intermediate their ends at spaced points around the rim, bearing members at spaced points around the telly and in which the ends of said springs are movable, rollers movable in said bearing members and engaged by the spring ends, and a'wear plate in each bearing member having end portions forming stops for said rollers.

6. A spring wheel comprising circumferentially spaced felly v and rim portions, a

flanged plate secured to the telly, a series,

of bowed springs secured intermediate their ends at spaced points around the rim, and bearing members at spaced points around the folly and in which the ends of the said springs are movable, each of said bearing Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the members including bridged side plates, and a wear plate secured thereto and having inturned side flanges abutting the flanges of the said telly plate.

7. A spring wheel comprising circumferentially spaced felly and rim portions, a flanged plate secured to the telly, aseries of springs secured intermediate their ends at spaced points around the rim, andbearing members at spaced points and in which the ends of the said springs are movable, each of said bearing members including sideplates secured to andprojecting outwardly beyond said flanged telly plate, a bridge piece connecting the outer edges of said side plates, and a wear plate secured to the bridge piece and having I flanges engaging the edges of the bridge piece and other flanges abutting the flanges of said felly plate.

8. A spring wheel comprising circumferentially spaced telly and rim portions, a series of curved springs between said felly and rim portions, connecting members engaging the springs intermediate their ends and disposed at spaced points around the rim, and bearing members at spaced points around the telly opposite the said connecting members, and in which the ends of the said springs are movable, said connecting members including a slotted rim plate secured to the rim and in which the spring extends, and a housing plate extending over the spring and having extensions secured through the slots of the rim plate.

OTTO G. WORSLEY.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

around the felly 

